Grandson charged in the death of Syracuse woman, Nanette Hart

David Lassman / The Post-StandardThe body of 67-year-old Nanette Hart was found Thursday morning behind this house at 421 Westmoreland Ave. in Syracuse. Her grandson, Paris Hart IV has been charged in her death. Syracuse, NY - The grandson of a Syracuse woman found dead behind her former East Side home has been charged with second-degree murder.

Paris D. Hart IV
The body was found Thursday behind 421 Westmoreland Ave., a house she owns and she previously lived in.

Paris Hart was arraigned about 10:10 a.m. in City Court, after a delay of 40 minutes. The delay was because Judge Karen Uplinger questioned the sufficiency of the paperwork that was filed.

Hart stood with his head bowed as the court clerk read the specifics of the charges aloud. The judge then entered a not guilty plea, assigned lawyer Francis Walter and adjourned the case to Wednesday for a preliminary hearing. She also ordered Hart be held without bail.

There were several family members in court for the arraignment, but they declined comment.

Court papers indicate Hart, 20, admitted to police he got involved in an argument with his grandmother during which he struck her and knocked her to the ground. He then pinned her to the ground "incapacitating her ability to breathe until she stopped breathing," the court papers charge.

The defendant then placed a black garbage bag over the victim's head and another garbage bag over her lower extremities and removed the body by placing her in a vehicle and taking her to 421 Westmoreland Ave.

The court papers indicate the defendant left the body behind the detached garage and made attempts to conceal it under debris.

The court papers indicate the fatal attack occurred about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday at the victim's home at 602 Mountainview Ave.

Syracuse Police Chief Gary Miguel said Paris Hart had asked his grandmother for money, and she agreed but told him it would be on her time schedule, which started the argument.

Police were called to Nanette Hart's Moutainview Avenue home by sons Aaron Hart and Paris Hart III, who had become concerned that they had not heard from their mother, according to police records.

At the same time, DeWitt police investigating a barking dog complaint found Nanette's Hart's abandoned car and what turned out to be a dog belonging to Paris Hart IV. The Onondaga County 911 Center put the two together and alerted Syracuse police, Miguel said.

Paris Hart IV told police he last saw his mother between 3 and 4 p.m. Wednesday and that she seemed fine, police reports said.

Aaron Hart told police at Nanette Hart's home that he felt Paris Hart IV "is not being honest with them about this," police records on the missing person complaint states.

Paris Hart was taken into the Criminal Investigation Division, where detectives found inconsistencies in his statements. He told detectives that he owed drug and gambling debts to a man, who Hart believed kidnapped his grandmother to get his money, Miguel said.

Police then began to investigate a "ransom-like situation," Miguel said.

Miguel did not know if, in fact, Paris Hart really had gambling or drug debts.

"We know he fabricated stories," Miguel said.

As detectives were telling Hart that his story didn't add up, Hart told detectives that he hadn't told the truth and then told them where to find his grandmother's body, Miguel said.

The exact cause of Nanette Hart's death is not known this morning, an autopsy is scheduled for later today.

Paris Hart had no criminal record and is employed with Home Depot, Miguel said.